Pediatric Dentist Vancouver WA

Your child’s visit to a pediatric dentist will create a lifetime of good overall health and positive experiences. Baby teeth play an important role in a child’s speech development, your child’s facial structure, and ensure that your child’s permanent teeth erupt in the correct positions.

Did you know that good oral hygiene can lead to better overall health? Poor dental care in children can lead to other health problems, such as sleep deprivation, malnutrition, painful infections and lifelong health problems.

At Cascade Dental in Vancouver, our pediatric dentists provide dental care to children beginning with their first visit to the dentist as an infant.

Your kid’s dentist has an opportunity to create a pleasant, comfortable experience on the first dental visit. Dentistry for children should begin around the age of one. Typically, your child’s first tooth will erupt by his or her first birthday. The most important part of the dental visit is getting to know and becoming comfortable with a dentist, dental hygienist, and friendly staff.

At Cascade Dental, we believe a child’s future visits to the dentist have a lot to do with his or her first experience. If possible, allow your child to sit on your lap in the exam room. Children should be encouraged to discuss any fears or anxiety they feel with the dentist in Vancouver Wa.

Tooth decay in infants can be minimized or totally prevented by not allowing sleeping infants to breast or bottle-feed. A baby bottle containing anything other than water and left in an infant’s mouth while sleeping can cause tooth decay. While sleeping saliva flow significantly decreases. In turn, liquids will pool around your child’s teeth for long periods, covering the teeth in acids. Tooth decay can occur when sugar in the liquid mixes with the bacteria in dental plaque.

Alternatively, when children are awake, saliva will carry the liquid away. Acids form that attack your child’s tooth enamel for about 20 minutes. Infants that need a bottle to comfortably fall asleep should be given a water-filled bottle or a pacifier.

While your baby is teething, it is important to monitor the teeth for signs of baby bottle decay. Examine your child’s teeth, especially on the inside or the tongue side, every two weeks. You should look for for dull spots (whiter than the tooth surface) or lines. If you notice anything unusual in your child’s mouth, contact our kid-friendly Vancouver dentists at Cascade Dental.